Disappearing Act
by Gemini11
Summary: The Charmed Ones are attacked by four warlocks, and after fighting them off, the youngest of the four appears to them asking for their help. They must help him save his brothers from the evil that is slowly killing them.


"Get him, Piper!" Prue screamed at one of the warlocks coming after her, while fighting off another warlock. There were four warlocks in all. Prue was taking on the 'boss', and Phoebe had disappeared from the room. Piper was fighting off two until one went to help the 'boss'.  
  
"I'm trying, Prue!" Piper screamed back. She brought her foot up and kicked the warlock holding her wrists. He fell back to the ground, surprised that she used so much force. She quickly brought her hands up and froze the room as Prue flung one of the warlocks into the air. He froze, suspended there.  
  
Prue and Piper relaxed, taking in a few deep breaths. "Why did they," Piper paused, trying to catch her breath, "Why did they come so fast?"  
  
"I don't know, Piper." Prue suddenly straightened up and glanced nervously around the room. "Where is Phoebe?"  
  
Piper looked around the room. There was a loud thump that came from upstairs. Piper glanced at Prue and they both took off at a dash up the stairs. When they made it to the attic Phoebe was hugging the Book of Shadows to her while a warlock held her above his head. He threw her across the room, and Prue used her powers to make Phoebe land on a couch covered in pillows that sat in the corner. Piper froze the man as he shot fire from his palm. The fire froze inches from Piper's stomach, and Prue took a step back, pulling Piper with her. They stepped out of the way and went to Phoebe.  
  
"Are you okay?" Piper immediately asked.  
  
Prue and Piper helped their little sister to her feet. She brushed some of her hair out of her face and yelped, pointing at the three warlocks coming in the door. Piper quickly brought her hands up and froze them.  
  
"Okay, okay quick, we have to find something in there now!" Piper said hysterically.  
  
"Phoebe, open the book!" Prue demanded.  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe ran across the room to a small, knee high table and slapped the book down on it. Phoebe flung back the cover. The three girls dropped to their knees to see better and began frantically flipping through the pages.  
  
"Come on!" Phoebe shouted when they found nothing.  
  
"Keep looking, I'll hold them off." Prue said about to go around the table and face the warlocks.  
  
"Prue, no! Look!" Piper said, grabbing her sister's sleeve. "I found something. 'Four warlocks, two sets of twins, they have twin powers. One twin without his brother only has half the strength of his power. Separate them and they weaken greatly.' We have to get them apart." Piper read quickly.  
  
"That's why that other had to come to his brother's help when I was fighting him off, Phoebe had his twin upstairs and he was getting weak." Prue figured. "Spell?" She asked  
  
"Right there." Phoebe said, pointing at the book. "We're gonna need help."  
  
"Right, it's not a power of three spell so we can do it alone, so, Prue, I'll call Leo and you get one twin from both sets and take them downstairs. Phoebe and I will hold off the other two up here. Once you get them downstairs say the spell." Piper hurriedly scribbled the spell down on two separate sheets of paper. She stood up handed one of the papers to Prue and started calling Leo.  
  
"What?" He asked after orbing in.  
  
"Take those two warlocks downstairs and help Prue." Piper said, pointing at one of the twins from both sets.  
  
"All right." He agreed not needing an explanation.  
  
They went around the table to face the warlocks again. Piper unfroze them, and Prue immediately flung one out the door with her power. His twin was about to go help him, but Phoebe tackled him to the ground. Piper picked up a baseball and lobbed it at one's head. He turned on her and was about to attack. Prue got the other down the stairs and she and Leo were in the process of fighting them down to the living room. Piper dove out of the way of a lighting bolt as Phoebe jumped past a ball of fire. They grabbed each other's hands and pulled out the paper.  
  
The warlocks got together in the middle of the room looking for their twins. When they didn't see them they started to fidget nervously, shouting out all kinds of threats. Piper and Phoebe started to chant the spell.  
  
"Half of one, your spell is done; your powers less than their best. We take you now, from this world. Be gone without your second half."  
  
Piper and Phoebe were a bit shocked when the warlocks merely disappeared. No dropping to the ground in flames screaming out threats and expressions of disbelief. No turning into piles of bones or dust, they just merely disappeared. Piper glanced at Phoebe unsure their spell had worked.  
  
"What if they just blinked out?" Piper asked cautiously.  
  
"We should go downstairs and see what happened to Prue." Phoebe suggested.  
  
They backed out of the attic and walked down the hall backwards watching the attic door as they went. Prue and Leo were coming down the same hall backwards watching the stairs and the living room. The four bumped into each other causing screams to fill the house. When they turned around and saw whom they had bumped into; Prue, Piper, and Phoebe hugged each other. When they pulled away they looked around for Leo. He was gone.  
  
"Where's Leo? What happened?" Piper asked.  
  
"He was right here." Prue said, looking around for him.  
  
"Sorry." Leo piped up from other end of the hall. "You surprised me, and I accidentally orbed over here. I thought you two were warlocks, I figured I could get them from behind from over here." He said, indicating he was talking about Piper and Phoebe.  
  
They went downstairs and sat down in the sitting room. All four were a little jumpy, not being entirely sure the warlocks were truly gone.  
  
"What happened when you said the spell?" Prue asked Phoebe.  
  
"Nothing, they just disappeared, no fancy fireworks or anything." Phoebe answered.  
  
"Same with us," Prue said a little disappointed. "What if they're not gone and they come back?"  
  
"Well, Leo, can you tell if they're gone?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"I can't. I can go ask Them if you want? They might know something about their disappearance, whether it was genuine or not."  
  
"Well, go ask for us then." Prue said. "We'll calmly wait here."  
  
"More like we'll nervously wait here, afraid to go anywhere without each other," Phoebe muttered.  
  
"I'll be back soon." Leo said and then the little blue orbs of light surrounded him, and he was gone.  
  
(End part 1)  
  
(Part 2)  
  
"So, do we just sit here and wait helplessly?" Piper asked.  
  
"Well, what do you suggest we do, Piper?" Phoebe said.  
  
"I suggest we go up the attic and look in the Book of Shadows. We were in a hurry earlier; it might say something more about those four warlocks."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea, but keep your eyes open and your guard up." Prue said, standing up.  
  
The three of them slowly made it up the attic. The book was still on the little table. They crossed over and picked it up returning it to the podium it usually sat on. They opened the book back up to the page with the four warlocks and began reading it.  
  
"Well, one twin in both sets has the ability to shoot fire and lighting out of his hands." Phoebe read then looked at Piper. "Those being the two we had." She looked back down at the book, "The other twin in both sets has the ability to counteract those powers, and they have the powers to freeze things. Not like Piper's power," Phoebe said looking up at her sisters. "They literally freeze things by turning them to ice. Their other power is control of the air around them; they can sort of create a whirlwind or twister effect indoors."  
  
"Okay, so we handled that fairly well, does it say anything about blinking powers, or some other type of teleportation?" Piper asked.  
  
"Nope, nothing…"  
  
"Well, maybe we are too pessimistic; maybe we really did vanquish them. I mean, every demon we've ever fought always had its own unique way of…dying." Prue said. "We'll just have to wait on Leo and see what he finds out."  
  
After about ten minutes more, the three sisters were sitting on the couch that Prue had used to break Phoebe's fall, and Leo orbed in. They immediately stood up, anticipating the news. However, Piper could tell that the news he had wasn't good.  
  
"They aren't dead, are they?" She quickly asked, flinging some hair off her shoulder.  
  
"They don't know. They said that those four are dangerous when they are together, but can be easily defeated when they are separated. They couldn't be sure if you vanquished the warlocks, or if they used a spell of their own to disappear. All I can say is keep your eyes open." Leo then looked up. "Ah, They're calling again, maybe the found out something new. I'll be back." He gave Piper a quick kiss and orbed out once more.  
  
"Great, so now we have to live our lives looking over our shoulders every minute." Piper griped.  
  
"Don't we already?" Phoebe asked with a deep sigh.  
  
"You're right, Pheebs. Maybe it's not as bad as I think." Piper said.  
  
"We have to go on with our lives." Prue said. "So, I'm off to work. If anything and I mean anything at all happens, you call me. I will come straight home." Prue gave both of her sisters a kiss on the forehead and left the attic.  
  
Piper started to head downstairs and noticed that Phoebe wasn't behind her. "You coming?"  
  
"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay up here and read the book a while."  
  
"I'll make us some lunch. I'll call you when it's ready."  
  
"All right, Piper." Phoebe said and watched her sister leave the room.  
  
She looked down at the book recalling what happened earlier. She had run up to the attic to try and find a spell to get rid of the warlocks. One of them had followed her up and as she was looking through the book he walked up to her and grabbed the book. That had shocked Phoebe. As far as she could remember no demon or warlock could touch the book, it wouldn't let them. She had kicked it out of his hands and hugged it to her. That was when he picked her up, and Prue and Piper came in. Phoebe knew she needed to tell her sisters about what happened, but for some reason she felt that she shouldn't. She couldn't explain what she felt, but she felt if she told them something bad would happen. Instead, Phoebe decided to look for something in the book that talked about guarding the book from evil.  
  
After a long while, Phoebe heard Piper calling her downstairs. She closed the book and went to the attic door, before leaving she glanced back at the book. She couldn't leave it here alone if the warlocks could pick it up, she walked back to the book stuck it under her arm and headed for the kitchen. She would tell her sister, she had to. It didn't matter what this feeling she had meant. They were the Charmed Ones, but without the book, they were useless.  
  
"Why did you bring the book?" Piper asked after Phoebe had laid it on the table.  
  
"Earlier when we were fighting the warlocks, one of them took the book from me." Phoebe blurted out trying to ignore the feeling of unease that she had.  
  
"What? But they shouldn't be able to even touch the book." Piper said.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?"  
  
"Well, at first I forgot through all the action, and then I had this terrible feeling that you shouldn't know. It's a strange feeling, very uncomfortable." Phoebe tried to explain.  
  
"I think we need to call Prue." Piper suggested.  
  
"But—"  
  
"Piper cut her off. "She said to call her no matter what about."  
  
"Right, I'll get the phone." Phoebe went into the sitting room where she had left the phone earlier that day and brought it back into the kitchen where it belonged. Piper took it and punched in Prue's cell number.  
  
"Prue speaking," She answered.  
  
"Prue, it's me. Phoebe said that earlier a warlock grabbed the book from her." Piper cut to the chase.  
  
"I thought they couldn't do that." Prue said, worry and concern evident in her voice.  
  
"They aren't supposed to be able to."  
  
"I can't come home now, just try and figure out something to do to protect the book, and I'll be home in about an hour or so." Prue said.  
  
"All right, bye."  
  
"Bye, Piper."  
  
Piper handed the phone to Phoebe who placed it on its base. "What'd she say?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"We have to find a way to protect the book. She'll be home in about an hour." Piper answered.  
  
"I found a spell we can put on the book. It will disguise the book temporarily so that it looks like some other kind of book, like a dictionary or a photo album." Phoebe said. "I thought I should check with you about it first, though."  
  
"Well, I guess we should do that. Does it require the power of three?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then we'll cast it after we eat." Piper said, sitting down with her lunch.  
  
(End part 2)  
  
(Part 3)  
  
"Well, let's get this done with." Piper said with a sigh.  
  
"Hey, sweetie, are you all right?" Phoebe asked with a hint of worry in her voice.  
  
"Oh, I don't know." Piper sighed. "We've got four warlocks that we're not even sure are still alive, but if they are they're still after us and they are capable of taking our book. Nothing is the way it should be."  
  
"Look, we'll finish them off, if we didn't already." Phoebe said, rubbing her sister's back gently. "I know things are strange, but we can handle it."  
  
"So how do we do this?" Piper asked, indicating the book.  
  
"We have to say this spell. I found it in the back of the book so I'm guessing Mom or Grams wrote it."  
  
"Maybe they had the same kind of trouble we are having."  
  
"Well, Piper, this is what the spell does, it disguises the book as some other book, and also protects it against those that are able to see it for what it really is despite the disguise. So if these warlocks can see through the disguise then the book will still be protected." Phoebe explained.  
  
"Let's say it then, I'll feel better once the book is safe." Piper said.  
  
"Protected from Harm by cover, who breaks this charm and sees the truth, will fall away forever, and disappear to Nothingness."  
  
They finished the spell and watched as the book changed to an old tattered photo album, and then back to the Book of Shadows.  
  
"It didn't work." Piper complained disappointed.  
  
"Yes it did. We know what it really is so we'll see past the charm." Phoebe picked it up and looked around the kitchen. "Let's put it over on the shelf with your cook books so no one will find it."  
  
"That's a good idea." Piper said.  
  
They put it on the shelf unaware of the green eyes watching them through the window. The owner of those eyes smiled and disappeared in a flash of red light mingled with orbs of black light without watching them put the book away.  
  
Piper and Phoebe went into the solarium. Piper was watering plants as Phoebe talked about the four warlocks and what she read about them while Piper had been cooking. Prue came home while they were in the solarium talking. She joined them and quickly asked about the book.  
  
"We cast a spell to disguise it. It's safe." Phoebe told her.  
  
"Good, cause I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat around here?" Prue asked with a smile, and Piper took her hand and led her into the kitchen to give her some of what her and Phoebe ate for lunch. When Prue sat foot in the kitchen she immediately saw the Book of Shadows. "I thought you cast a spell."  
  
"We did." Piper said, glancing at the book. "But we know what it really is so the disguise didn't work."  
  
"What, so anyone who saw you putting a spell on it would recognize it?" Prue asked.  
  
"Yeah, but no one saw." Phoebe added. "Everyone else will see it as an old photo album."  
  
"You're sure it is safe?"  
  
"Positive, Prue. Just calm down and eat." Piper ordered.  
  
"Besides, I know every thing about these four warlocks now." Phoebe said smugly. "They've been around for some time."  
  
"I'm just worried about losing that book. Without it we can't protect the innocent." Prue said.  
  
"We still have our powers, Prue." Piper said.  
  
"Right, but remember Abraxus? He stole the book and read it backwards, what if someone else gets it and reads it backwards? Then we won't even have those."  
  
"Hmm, well I also remember a Prue who wouldn't have cared one way or another if that had happened." Piper replied.  
  
"Well, things have changed. I'm not that person anymore." Prue argued.  
  
"I'm still curious about those warlocks, if they have the ability to counteract their twins' power then how come they didn't use them on us like the other two did?" Phoebe asked, changing the subject. "I mean, I never saw any lethal ice cubes or anything like that."  
  
"Maybe they didn't think it was necessary. They did think they were going to kill us." Piper said.  
  
"They might still think they are going to kill us." Prue reminded them. "Has Leo come back with anything yet?"  
  
"Nothing," Piper answered.  
  
Prue sat down and ate. Piper and Phoebe sat with her, talking about all they had found out and what they could do. They talked about different types of defenses and attacks. Prue was just finishing up when Leo orbed in.  
  
"I have some really bad news." He said.  
  
"Uh-oh…" Phoebe mumbled.  
  
"Those four warlocks are still alive. They don't know where the four are, but you are still in danger. Those warlocks are a lot stronger than they've ever been; you have to be careful." Leo said, falling into big brother mode.  
  
"We know, Leo. We'll keep our guard up." Phoebe said.  
  
"But for now, I have to get ready to go to the club." Piper said.  
  
"There will be a lot of people at the club. I think we should keep our eyes wide open while we're there." Prue said.  
  
"You're coming? I thought you had somewhere else to be." Piper said surprised.  
  
"Not anymore, and Phoebe is coming too. I'm not letting either of you go anywhere alone. The odds of four to one are not odds that I want to face any time soon. Even if we're still out numbered four to three, at least we'll be together."  
  
"All right, then." Piper said cheerfully.  
  
  
  
  
  
"They've turned the blasted book into something else!" He roared.  
  
"Calm down, Brother. We'll find it if we have to tear the house apart." His twin said.  
  
"No, Marcus. We don't have the time for that. Our time is wasting away as it is. We'll be dead soon with out that book. Even if we could find it, it is protected by a spell! We can't get it that way!" He told his twin.  
  
"But Michael, we could find a way! We wouldn't have to face those witches again." Marcus argued.  
  
"It's no use, Marcus. We do things his way or we don't do it at all."  
  
"But that is how it's always been, Troy!"  
  
"And that is how it will stay!" Troy shouted.  
  
"If we go up against those witches again they will separate us, Michael and I cannot be separated as long as you and Tomas!" Marcus argued. "If you both get separated your powers don't diminish as quickly as ours do. You know this and you want to go along with this plan anyway, Michael?"  
  
"Yes! We'll die if we can't get that book!" Michael said.  
  
"We'll die anyway if we get separated for too long." Marcus said.  
  
"Tomas, what do you think?" Michael asked.  
  
"I think I agree with Marcus. You will die without him, and those witches know to separate you. However, I also agree with you, Michael, we don't have the time to waste searching the house." Tomas, being the oldest out of all four of them, was normally the decision-maker; even though Michael planned most everything.  
  
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Troy asked his twin.  
  
"I suggest we capture the most vulnerable sister and threaten to kill her if we don't get the book." Tomas said. "The Charmed Ones are too close to let their sister die."  
  
"Sounds a lot like someone I know." Marcus said angrily. "Or at least, used to."  
  
His brothers watched as he shook his head in shame and left the room. He was the youngest out of the four, but he remembered best the time when they were not evil; when they protected the innocent instead of killing them. He never liked the change in his brothers. He was the only one of the four that would still give his life so that one of his brothers could live. Once upon a time they had all been like that.  
  
'Maybe if I ask the witches for help they can change us back to how we once were.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe I'm crazy for still caring about my brothers.' He hung his head in desperation. 'I will ask the witches, I don't care what my brothers say, if they can help me then I will owe them the world. But if they won't help me then I will take away their reason to cling to this world.' He sighed upon hearing the evil in his soul work it's way forth.  
  
  
  
(End of Part 3)  
  
(Part 4)  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were sitting in the back of the club on a couch, they had been talking with Leo about the warlocks only a few minutes ago, but Leo had gone to the office and orbed out, and now the sisters sat in silence, awkward silence.  
  
"Well," Phoebe said, breaking the silence. "It could be worse."  
  
Prue and Piper just looked at her. She took a deep breath and sighed. "Or not," She muttered.  
  
"We have to do something." Piper argued.  
  
"Piper, we've already been through this a thousand times, there is nothing we can do! Those four are out there and they are watching us. That's all we know. We can't fight them unless we can get them apart. They know we know that so they'll go to extra measures to make sure they stay together." Prue said. "All we can do it wait for their attack. That's all."  
  
Piper hung her head in defeat. She knew that Prue was right, but she felt so helpless waiting to be attacked. She wanted to vanquish the warlocks and move on with her life. She felt eyes on her every few minutes, or she thought she did. Phoebe had told her that she was just being paranoid and she knew Phoebe was right, but she couldn't help it.  
  
After they closed up the club they went home. They all plopped down in a chair in the sitting room and got comfortable. None of them seemed tired, and if they were they weren't showing it.  
  
"You guys want to sleep in one room and set a watch?" Phoebe suggested. "That way we could still get some sleep."  
  
"This is so frustrating, why does this bother us so much? We've had demons get loose before." Piper said. "We didn't wait every minute for them to come back, but we knew they would."  
  
"But there weren't four of them, Piper." Prue said.  
  
They fell into another silent moment. Phoebe suddenly got the strangest feeling. She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt the same as the feeling she got about the book earlier. As Phoebe tried to figure out what was causing this feeling there was a bright flash of green light intertwined with little orbs of yellow. The three sisters looked away at the bright flash and when they looked back a man was standing there with his arms in the air. He was indicating that he wasn't there to harm them. The three tensed as they recognized him as one of the four warlocks. Prue was the first to jump to her feet in defense. She prepared to use her powers, but Phoebe gently grabbed her wrist. Piper slowly rose to stand next to Phoebe.  
  
"What are you here for?" Phoebe asked coldly.  
  
"I need your help." Marcus said, quietly looking down.  
  
"You need our help?" Prue asked in disbelief. "You tried to kill us and then you ask for our help."  
  
"What was I supposed to do? My brothers out-number me. I can't fight them!" He shouted in rage. Then his eyes went to the ground again and his voice choked off. He said in a broken voice, "I love them."  
  
Phoebe let go of Prue's arm and she lowered it to her side. Marcus put his arms down as well. Piper glanced at her sisters.  
  
"What do you need us for?" Piper asked softly.  
  
His eyes came up to meet hers. Piper saw that his eyes were watering up. "I'm dead if they catch me here."  
  
"Just tell us what's going on." Prue urged.  
  
"My brothers, my twin and I included, need your book to stay alive. We'll die without the power it holds. They plan to kidnap you." He said, pointing at Phoebe.  
  
"My name is Phoebe." She said.  
  
"Very well, they plan to kidnap you, Phoebe, and hold you hostage until your sisters give them the book. It won't matter if you give it to them, they will kill you anyway." Marcus looked down again and wiped at his eyes. "May I?" he asked, gesturing to a chair.  
  
"Go ahead." Prue said, staying on guard.  
  
The four of them sat down. Prue and Piper sat straight and ready to defend themselves, but Phoebe looked relaxed.  
  
"We weren't always this way." Marcus started. "We were good people once. We did much the same as you. We protected the innocent; we saved as many as we could. Suddenly there was a change in my oldest brother Tomas. He changed to someone that I hated being around. As a result of his change his twin brother Troy changed as well. Michael, my twin, was soon affected as well. They began killing instead of protecting, and since I'm the baby of the family I was forced to participate. It hurts so much when I'm forced to kill. I love my brothers, but I value life as well. It's too hard on me. I want it to end."  
  
"What can we do?" Phoebe asked, feeling compelled to help him.  
  
"Can you help turn my brothers back? They were good warlocks one time. They were…I swear it. Can't you make them that again? Can't you change it back to how it's supposed to be?" Marcus asked. He looked into each of their eyes seeking an answer. Then he glanced down at his hands. "I had planned on killing you if you would not help me, but I know that I can not do that. It was just the evil in me talking. I am affected the same as my brothers, but it's less powerful in me. I can still fight it."  
  
"That's good to know." Prue said. She got a nudge from Piper meaning to keep quiet.  
  
"Look, I came because I don't want to kill your sister. I don't want you to lose Phoebe. Even though my brothers are still with me…" Marcus paused and looked down at his hands. "I know what it is to lose them. They are gone to me. I came seeking your help; I want them back. I can't stay long, I have to be near my twin, and you know that. Look…"  
  
"Prue," She said, giving him her name.  
  
"Look, Prue, I see you are a lot like my older brother. You are protective of your sisters. Tomas is protective of my brothers and me as well, but not like he should be. He knows that if we die, his power is lessened, therefore, he protects us to ensure that his power remains intact. He would not agree in helping you, and I can see you will not agree in helping me, but at least take your book and leave. If you stay here they will get both your book and your sister." Marcus stood up feeling very alone, and lost. He was about to leave when he heard a familiar voice.  
  
"Marcus?"  
  
Marcus turned around to see who was calling him. When he saw the man that was standing there he almost dropped to his knees. He had to force himself to stay standing.  
  
"Marcus, what are you doing here?" The man asked.  
  
"I'm warning Phoebe against my brothers." He answered, feeling inclined to do so.  
  
"You're the fourth, aren't you? It's you and your brothers? I can't believe I didn't recognize your brothers. What are you doing here?"  
  
"I came seeking help. What exactly are you doing here, Leo?" Marcus asked.  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe watched on with wide eyes. They all felt confused now. Staring at the man and at Leo, the three knew they were going to get an explanation one way or another, and if it was by force, then so be it.  
  
(End of part 4)  
  
(Part 5)  
  
"Leo, you know him?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Yeah, I do." He said without looking at her. He was staring at the man. "Why did you tell them you were a warlock?" Leo asked, gesturing towards Prue, Piper, and Phoebe.  
  
"What was I supposed to tell them? That's basically what we are now." Marcus answered.  
  
"What are you talking about? Leo, how do you know him?" Piper asked, interrupting their conversation.  
  
"Marcus, here used to be a…" Leo paused to glance at the girls. He cleared his throat. "He used to be a whitelighter."  
  
Prue's glance quickly jumped from Leo to Marcus. Phoebe's jaw dropped and Piper looked from Leo to Marcus to her sisters.  
  
"What happened?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"His brother was corrupted by a darklighter. Soon, three of the four were darklighters, Marcus wasn't. That was when he found he couldn't be apart from his brother without becoming weak and powerless. He too became a darklighter to save his life. The four of them obtained new powers and forgot who they were at heart." Leo turned his gaze on Marcus, looking him in the eye hard. "They ignored what their hearts were telling them was right. After a while they were more powerful even than darklighters and they were cast out. I suppose that's when they started calling themselves warlocks."  
  
"It was." Marcus verified.  
  
"Why are you here?" Leo asked.  
  
"I want help. My heart is still in the right place, Leo." Marcus said. "My brothers will die without help, and I don't want that to happen. Not because I will die with them but because even though they are different…I still love them. They are my family, and all that I have, I can't change that."  
  
"Prue, we have to help him." Phoebe said. "If there is a chance we can set his brothers back on the right path we have to try."  
  
"What if this is all some big trap?" Prue asked. "What if they have something planned that we can't see?"  
  
"I don't, we don't! I swear. The only thing that we had planned was to kidnap your sister to get the book, and then to kill her when we had it." Marcus confessed.  
  
"Fine," Prue sighed. "We'll help you, but just remember…we hold the spell that will kill you."  
  
Marcus suddenly dropped to his knees clutching his side, convulsing in pain. When the pang of hurt passed he shakily stood up again. "I must go. I've been gone to long as it is. I have to be near my twin."  
  
Prue and Piper nodded, and Phoebe told him to go. He straightened himself out and there was bright flash of green light then a swirl of yellow orbs, and he was gone. Leo looked at Piper and her sisters before orbing out of the room looking either angry or hurt, Piper couldn't tell.  
  
"Okay, this day keeps getting weirder and weirder." Phoebe said.  
  
"What do we do?" Piper asked, looking at Prue.  
  
"Well, I think he genuinely wants our help so I say we trust him. I know it's risky, but something about him just tells me it's the right thing to do. He wants his brothers back and I don't want to lose my sisters." Prue answered.  
  
"So how will we change them back?" Piper asked.  
  
Prue didn't seem to have an answer so Phoebe jumped in. "Well, there might be a way to locate the good in someone if there still is any and bring it out again. Maybe if we can do that it will remind them who they really are. If we can't find a spell for that in the book of shadows, I'm sure I could whip one up…with your help of course."  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go see what we can find in the book." Prue said, getting up.  
  
"Prue, wait." Piper grabbed her arm and pulled her back down on the wicker couch/bench thing. "Leo knew him. Who do you think he could be?"  
  
"He used to be a whitelighter, maybe that's just how Leo knows him." Prue offered.  
  
"But Prue, didn't you see the look on Leo's face when he orbed out?" Piper asked. "There has to be more to the story than that."  
  
"There might be, but we can't worry about that right now. We have to help Marcus first." Prue stood up again, giving Piper a hand to her feet.  
  
Piper took it reluctantly and trudged behind her sisters to the attic. She was worried about Leo. She knew she had no reason to be, he could take care of himself, but she just couldn't help it. It would be the same way with her sisters. She was always worried about them. But that was the way of a Gemini, always able to worry themselves sick, sometimes literally. Piper's sisters, both being Scorpio's, often wondered how that could be possible.  
  
"Hi! Remember us?" Prue jumped in with one of her more common ways of bringing people out of their thoughts. Piper shook her head and looked at her sister questioningly. "Yeah, you're supposed to be helping us look for a spell of some sort."  
  
Piper pushed her worry out of her mind for now, trying to focus on the matter at hand. "Right," She muttered and started looking through the book with her sisters. She paused long enough to look at Phoebe. The thought of Tomas killing her made Piper's head swim. What would they do without her? She was the one who kept them in line, reminded them who they really were. If she was gone would they be able to continue being witches or would every thing crash and burn? She pushed that thought too out of her head. She couldn't think like that right now. They had to help Marcus save his brothers. She redirected her attention to the book again and kept it there.  
  
(End Part 5)  
  
(Part 6)  
  
"Where have you been?" The shadows asked. Marcus spun around startled.  
  
"Who's there?" Marcus asked, trying to make out the figure in the darkness.  
  
"Calm down, little brother," Tomas said, coming into the light. "Where were you? Michael was starting to go through the sharp pains."  
  
"I was watching the witches." Marcus said.  
  
"Really?" Tomas said. Marcus could hear a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "And what did our little spy discover?"  
  
"Nothing we didn't already know. " Marcus said.  
  
Tomas's expression changed to one of suspicion. "You're lying to me." He stated. He walked toward his brother and made a circle around him before facing him in the eyes once more. "Tell me what you learned."  
  
Marcus hesitated. "They have a whitelighter."  
  
Tomas looked a bit surprised at first before a grin crossed his face. He looked up at Marcus from underneath his brow. Marcus didn't like the look on his brother's face. "My dear Marcus, I expect we'll have more fun with this than we thought we ever would." He started to turn and go, but he stopped and looked back over his should at Marcus. "By the way, Marcus, thank you for the information, we strike tonight."  
  
When his brother was gone Marcus slumped down against a wall in the shadows and placed his head in his hands. He didn't mean for things to unfold this way. Michael had been watching the scene from across the room. He just grinned and turned to follow Tomas. Marcus looked up and watched him go. He knew Michael had been there since he returned; he could feel him there. Marcus sighed. Things were definitely different than they used to be.  
  
  
  
"Piper!" Phoebe said trying to get her sister's attention. "Piper, snap out of it!"  
  
Piper groggily shook her head and looked at Phoebe. "What?"  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I was just thinking." Piper said, avoiding the truth.  
  
The truth was that she was scared. She was afraid of the warlocks getting Phoebe. They were a lot stronger than Prue or she had imagined. Piper was also worried about Leo. He hadn't been back since Marcus left. Something was bothering him, and she wanted to know what it was. She knew that Leo could take care of himself though; she was more worried about the warlocks getting to her baby sister.  
  
As if reading her thoughts Prue put a reassuring arm around her shoulders. "Phoebe will be fine. We'll protect her, Piper. They won't get her."  
  
Piper just nodded. She wasn't so sure; they had said things like that before and had them come back to bite them in the asses. She prayed that this wouldn't be one of those times. "Have we found anything?" She asked.  
  
"Not yet." Phoebe muttered.  
  
"What do we do if there isn't a spell to help Marcus and his brothers?" Piper asked.  
  
"Then we'll just have to write one." Prue answered. She looked up at Piper and Phoebe, and then glanced at her watch. "Anyone want some tea?"  
  
"That would be great." Phoebe said, nudging Piper.  
  
"Yeah, it would." Piper said, completely agreeing.  
  
"Right, I'll be back up in a minute." Prue left the attic and went to the kitchen.  
  
She went to the cabinet and took out the kettle, filling it with water. She set it on the stove and went to grab her cell phone from the sitting room. She planned on checking her messages. The answering machine in the foyer had been crushed during the last demon attack and was being fixed so she had told everyone to call her cell and use her voice mail. She was listening to the first message when she heard something in the kitchen. Prue quickly shut off her phone and laid it down. She quietly went into the kitchen and saw three men standing there. Two looked ready to do their jobs, but the third didn't look so serious. She looked into his eyes and she saw fear there. She looked for an escape, but before she could move the fourth man that she was surprised wasn't there, grabbed her from behind cramming a gag into her mouth. He tied the gag and then clamped her hands behind back with one of his big hands, and covered her eyes with his other big hand. She struggled to get away, but he held her tight. Prue could hear one of the men moving towards her. She froze, her mind frantically searching for some way out of this. She tried to scream but her voice was muffled.  
  
"Marcus, the weapon please," Tomas indicated with a flick of his wrist.  
  
Marcus closed his eyes tight but handed his brother a long knife curved at the end. Tomas took it. He took a few steps towards Prue and ran his hand down her cheek; she yanked away from him kicking his shin.  
  
"Now, now, Miss Halliwell, let's not be so rude." He said in an innocent sweet voice.  
  
She made a mumbling sound trying to say something, which just made Tomas and his brothers laugh. Tomas then lightly pressed the tip of the knife up against Prue's chin and she stiffened up.  
  
"I personally think it will be much easier to get the book from one of your younger sisters." He pressed the tip of the knife in a little more, making Prue's eyes water beneath the man's hand. "And in order to get to your sisters you have to be out of the way." He said.  
  
He took the knife tip away, and Prue exhaled in relief. She then inhaled sharply as she felt the man thrust the knife into her gut and swiftly wrench it sideways. She screamed as loudly as she could beneath the man's hand, which had clamped down harder, over her mouth and the gag.  
  
"We'll be back for your sisters. Savor the time you have left with them while you lie dying in their arms." He said.  
  
Tomas tilted his head back and screamed as loudly as he could. When he was satisfied that the other two witches heard him, he turned to his brothers and nodded. Prue fell to the floor as she saw three different bright lights, each a different color as the men left. Marcus knelt at her side.  
  
"I'm so sorry, please forgive me." He said with his eyes filling with tears. "I didn't know. I didn't know. I swear it!"  
  
He laid his hands over her stomach and cried. "Damn it! I was a whitelighter once, just let it work!" He wailed.  
  
Prue laid her hand over his and told him to go. "Your brothers will wonder where you are. You have to save them still." She managed to say.  
  
He refused to leave at first, but he finally submitted and wiped away his tears. He stood up and looked at Prue with pleading eyes, but she told him to go. There was a bright flash of green light and he was gone.  
  
Prue's hands hovered over the hilt of the knife, unsure what to do. She was breathing in ragged gasps, and she was losing a lot of blood. She looked down and saw she was already covered in her own blood. Tears were streaming down her face. It seemed like it had been an eternity since they had left her, and she wondered if her sisters really had heard the man scream. She wanted to cry out for them, but she couldn't. Prue was staring at the ceiling breathing slowly when she heard her sister running down the stairs and into the kitchen. She also heard their screams when they saw her. Prue was growing very light headed. She felt a hand take hers and give it a comforting squeeze. Then she felt lips on her forehead.  
  
"Prue," She heard, but she couldn't make out what was said after that. She felt the hand drop hers and then heard two voices screaming at something.  
  
"LEO!!" Piper and Phoebe screamed.  
  
He materialized behind then and they both spun around with tear streaked faces. They both ran to him talking too fast for him to understand anything. He turned at their pointing and saw Prue lying on the floor in a puddle of her own blood. He quickly shoved the other two out of his way and ran to her. He slid down across one knee to her side and lifted her head.  
  
"Prue!" He felt for a pulse and there was a very faint one.  
  
He set her head in Phoebe's lap, and Piper took up Prue's hand again.  
  
"Talk to her, this is going to hurt her a lot." Leo told Phoebe and Piper who started to talk to her softly.  
  
Prue's eyes fluttered, trying to remain open. Leo took the knife handle in his hand and took a deep breath then quickly yanked it out and flung it across the room. Leo held his hands above her stomach and they began to glow a dim golden color. Prue closed her eyes and at first nothing happened. Leo got worried, and then suddenly the blood started to disappear and the wound was closing. Piper and Phoebe both exhaled in relief that it wasn't too late. Prue opened her eyes and looked at the three of them. She remembered what had happened and she looked down. She laid her hands on her gut where the knife had been. She closed her eyes again as tears seeped out the corners. Phoebe and Piper pulled her into a sitting position and then threw their arms around her. Prue opened her eyes just in time to see Leo orbing out. She didn't mind, she was grateful enough just being healed. She was content to continue hugging her sisters; she'd worry about him later.  
  
(End part 6)  
  
(Part 7)  
  
  
  
Prue, Piper, and Phoebe were sitting in the attic around the Book of Shadows with their tea, and Prue was telling her sisters what had happened. She was explaining why she hadn't been able to use her powers. She told them how she had forced Marcus to leave, being sure that Leo would be able to save her, or at least hoping he would. Piper and Phoebe told Prue how they heard the scream and knew something was wrong, and what they felt like when they saw her. They couldn't find words to express how glad they were that Prue was okay.  
  
While they were talking there was a bright flash of green light behind them. They turned around to see Marcus standing there with wide eyes. Prue smiled at him.  
  
"You're…"  
  
"Alive." Prue finished. She stood up and walked closer to him. "I know that you didn't want anything to do with what was done."  
  
"I'm sorry, I couldn't let them know that I was…It would have put everything at risk," He said.  
  
"It's okay. I understand." Prue told him. "Leo healed me."  
  
"She was almost gone though." Piper said coming to her sister's side.  
  
"I think we need to hurry and find a way to help you so that this ends." Phoebe said.  
  
"I think you're right." Marcus said.  
  
"Piper and I started a spell earlier so I think I'll get back to that. The sooner it's finished the better." Phoebe said, crossing the room to a table.  
  
"Marcus, can I ask you a question?" Piper asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"When you and Leo saw each other earlier, and you told us that you knew each other, how do you know each other?"  
  
"Like he told you, I used to be a whitelighter." Marcus's voice seemed harder than before, and Piper knew there was something more…something he didn't want to share.  
  
"Piper," Prue started, she had talked to Piper earlier and knew that she was worried about Leo.  
  
"Hang on, Prue." Piper said, holding up a finger without taking her eyes off of Marcus. "There is more to it than that, isn't there?" She held Marcus's gaze firmly.  
  
He looked away and took a deep breath. "Yes, there is." He said with a sigh.  
  
"What is it? What is it about you that bothers Leo so much?"  
  
"I'm not sure he'd be pleased with me telling you." Marcus said.  
  
"She's his fiancée, she'll eventually find out anyway." Phoebe said, without looking up from her work.  
  
"You're his fiancée? Well, I really don't think he'd want me telling you." Marcus said.  
  
"Please, just tell me." Piper pleaded.  
  
"Well," Marcus sighed again, more deeply this time. "My brothers and I were in the war with Leo. We were all fighting for the same side. We were all placed in the same division." He looked up at Piper's face and realized he had all of the sisters' attention so he continued. "During the training my brothers and I had become friends with Leo. Leo and my brother Tomas were very close friends. When the fighting started we mostly stayed together and covered each other's backs. We protected one another. During one of our missions my brothers and I were…somehow captured. Leo managed to get away. They drug us back to their front line and knocked us out. When we came to they simply let us go. Sure, we were confused at first, but we decided to take the opportunity for escape, confused or not. So, my brothers and I started running across the battlefield trying to get back to safety within reach of our men. Leo and two others saw us coming." Marcus paused. He looked like he was in a far away place as he recalled the event.  
  
"What happened?" Phoebe jolted him out of his thoughts.  
  
"We, uh, didn't know that when we had been among the enemies that they had stripped us of our uniforms and dressed us in theirs. That was why they let us go; it was a trap. Leo and the other men, saw four enemy soldiers charging them, fully armed. My brothers and I were confused when they drew their guns on us. We thought someone was after us so we glanced back. When we looked back again, we were nearly within reach of our men. We hadn't taken the time to look at each other so we hadn't noticed the enemy uniforms we wore until it was too late. My twin pointed it out, and we started trying to get Leo's attention by screaming at him. He couldn't hear us over the noise. When we reached to take off our helmets to show our men who we were, I guess they thought we were pulling grenade pins or something because they opened fire on us." Marcus looked away from the girls. He started staring at the wall as a few tears slid down his face. "Troy was the first down. Michael made it a little farther before he had his neck shot out. Tomas and I made it within reach of our men, and we were still trying to get our helmets off. The man to Leo's side put a bullet it my brother's forehead. I made it the closest because I was always the fastest. I started flinging off my equipment to gain speed. I finally flung off my helmet, but it was too late. Leo had raised his gun and shot me. I saw his face after he pulled the trigger. He had realized who I was after he shot me. He dropped the gun and ran to my side. Shot me dead in the heart. I was only alive for a minute more. Leo and his friends shot down four of their own men." Marcus sniffled and wiped at the tears on his cheek. "When I became a whitelighter I was told that the two men at Leo's side went into shock at what they had done, and they killed themselves. I don't remember how long it was after before Leo became a whitelighter."  
  
"I'm sorry." Piper whispered, trying to force down the lump in her throat.  
  
"For what?" Marcus asked, meeting her gaze.  
  
"I'm sorry for asking you to relive that."  
  
"It doesn't matter now. It's over and that's all in the past." Marcus said, regaining his composure. "What about that spell, Phoebe?"  
  
"What? Oh, I'm sorry." Phoebe said. She wiped her face with her sleeve. "I'll get back to that."  
  
"Prue, I never blamed Leo. I never knew what it must have been like for him, but after I let my brother kill you I think I can understand a little better. I didn't want you to die; I didn't want you to be hurt. The only difference between what I did and what Leo did was that he couldn't help it, and I could have. Instead I just let my brother kill you. If Leo ever felt guilty over my death then the guilt was in the wrong place, but I do and should feel guilty for what they did to you. I could have stopped that, but I let them do it." Marcus looked to be on the verge of tears again. "I only wish that you can forgive me. I have no excuses for what I did."  
  
"Marcus, I don't blame you for what your brother did. There was nothing you could have done. Had you tried you would have been on the floor next to me with your life draining away." Prue told him, patting his hand reassuringly.  
  
"Prue, I finished the spell." Phoebe told them. "Now all we need is your brothers, and Leo, in case something goes wrong."  
  
"I must return to my brothers. I'll be back, and I will bring them. Please be prepared." He stood up giving Prue's hand one last gentle squeeze before the green light enveloped him and he was gone with the little yellow orbs of light.  
  
(End part 7)  
  
(Part 8)  
  
"Well, at least now we know why Leo seemed bothered by all this." Prue said. "I mean, if I accidentally killed my four best friends I think I might have a complex too."  
  
"At least he didn't do it intentionally. I'm sure there were all types of mind games going on during the war." Phoebe said.  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Leo asked, making all three girls jump. They didn't know he had orbed in and he scared them.  
  
"Leo! You scared us." Piper snapped, stating the obvious.  
  
"Sorry, I forgot you guys don't like the sneaky orbing thing." Leo said unsure what else to say. He couldn't help it if his orbing was quiet.  
  
"We were just talking about Marcus." Phoebe said. That wasn't entirely true, they had been talking about Leo mostly, but it wasn't a lie either. They had started the conversation talking about Marcus, and topics just led back to Leo.  
  
"You figure out what to do about that yet?" He asked, taking a seat next to Piper on the couch in the sitting room.  
  
"Not really. We thought we might just try casting an innocence spell on them to make them see the good in everything like you did when you were a child, you know, when nothing was bad. But we weren't sure that would work so we thought about combining it with some sort of spell to help you find a quality in yourself that you lost… such as compassion, and really bring it out." Phoebe explained. "We don't know if that's possible though, and we'd have to write the spell since one doesn't exist. We're basically spitting out all kinds of ideas but so far nothing seems to stick."  
  
"You could try a potion. I know there's one that makes you see a previous time in your life either good or bad and it brings back the emotions you felt during that time." Leo suggested. "But that is a very risky potion to use because it just randomly picks out events in your life so it might not have the desired effect."  
  
"I don't know." Phoebe sighed. "I just wish we could cast a spell that was already written and ready to go. It would make things easier."  
  
"That's for sure." Piper spoke up in agreement. "Marcus said that the four used to be whitelighters, maybe the Elders can help us come up with something? Have they ever had a whitelighter stray to the…uh, 'dark side' before?" Piper said using her fingers as quotations in the air. "Maybe they have a way of bringing them back into the 'light', I guess you could say." She said, using the quotations gesture again.  
  
"They might have something they can do, but I don't know. I can go find out." Leo said.  
  
"Maybe you should." Piper replied quietly without looking at him.  
  
"I'll be back." He said and then orbed out once more.  
  
After Leo was gone Phoebe and Prue both turned to look at Piper.  
  
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Nothing," Piper answered. Then she sighed. "It's just that I can't believe Leo never told me about that, can you imagine what it must feel like? I just feel so bad for him, and I can't do anything to help."  
  
"It's okay; he'll come around when he's ready. You know how Leo is." Prue reassured.  
  
"So, what do you think about the potion plan?" Piper asked, changing the subject.  
  
"If the Elders have got a better plan I suggest we go with that." Prue said, looking at her sisters. "You heard what Leo said, that potion is very risky. What if it just makes them relive their dark times and reminds them how much they love killing?" Prue shook her head. "We can't risk that. We have to come up with something sturdy that we know will work the way we want, not something we think might work the way we want."  
  
"I agree with Prue, I mean we haven't got much time as it is. Marcus said his brothers and he were dying, without our book and its power they'll die for sure. I know this is harsh, but if we can't think of anything and nothing will work, then we'll just have to keep the book from them until they finally die." Phoebe said.  
  
Piper looked down at her hands. "Phoebe," She started in a quiet voice. "We can't do that, or at least I can't. I can't let Marcus die. Because of him we knew what his brothers were planning. He's trying to help us."  
  
"And his brothers are trying to kill us! You saw what they did to Prue!" Phoebe raised her voice in argument.  
  
"But he didn't want that to happen!" Piper argued.  
  
Phoebe lowered her voice and her expression changed to one of concern. "Then why didn't he stop it, Piper?" Phoebe was confused now; all sorts of emotions were raging through her. She felt the same as Piper, but she couldn't forget the bad in it all. She wanted to help, but she knew she also had to face the facts that they may just have to kill the four men.  
  
Piper hung her head in defeat. The three sat in silence for a few moments before Piper spoke up. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper, and she didn't take her eyes off the floor. "Phoebe, if you killed me or Prue on accident, and you were given a second chance to save us, would you want to watch us die again?"  
  
"Well, no, but—"  
  
"But nothing; if you two are going to give up that easily, go right ahead. I can't help Leo with his memories of what he did, but I can help him in this. I'm not giving up. I will find something. I won't make him watch them die a second time." With that Piper stood and walked out of the room.  
  
It was a few minutes more in silence as the sisters considered what Piper had said.  
  
"She's right you know." Prue stated. "If I had killed either of you on accident I would hate myself, and I would do whatever I had to in order to save you a second time. I'm not going to give up either."  
  
"I don't want to give up either, Prue. But what can we do? We've exhausted every idea we have. We're left with nothing here." Phoebe said. "If we can't find something then it's either let them live and kill more people by giving them our book, or by letting them die and save many more lives by not giving over the book."  
  
"I see your point, Pheebs, but it won't come to that. We are the Charmed Ones it's our job to find magical ways to solve serious problems like this. We've done it before, and we'll just do it again."  
  
"Then we better get to work. There's not much time to spare." Phoebe said and the glanced at the stairs where Piper had gone. "Should we go check on Piper? I think I kinda upset her."  
  
"I think she'll be fine for now. Let's just worry about a spell." Prue said.  
  
(End Part 8)  
  
(Part 9)  
  
  
  
"How's that spell coming along, Pheebs?" Prue asked, reentering the kitchen.  
  
"Not well." Phoebe answered. "I found something in the book though. It's a spell that divides a person into two parts; to sum it up the good half and the evil half. While there is two of everyone–"  
  
"Aren't there already two of everyone?" Prue asked.  
  
"Prue, I'm serious, listen." Phoebe snapped.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"When there is two of everyone it's like two real people, they have their own life. You can kill one half without killing the person. They'll just lack that portion of themselves." Phoebe explained.  
  
"You have to have the ability to hate though. Even if that's what got them into this mess in the first place, I mean even Leo hates things. Hate and Fear are there for a reason, they aren't supposed to rule your lives though, but they do keep you from doing certain things. Do you know what I mean?" Prue asked looking at her sister's blank stare.  
  
"Right, I do. But that's the thing; this spell doesn't take all of the bad out of you. It can't do that; it's not that powerful. So, you're still left with some bad in you, but it will definitely take away the part that enjoys murdering and torturing. That's what the spell was made for; it was made to take that joy away from you, to make you hate murdering not revel in it." Phoebe explained.  
  
"So, basically it's the perfect spell for this situation?" Prue asked, leaning over her sister to look at the spell.  
  
"Yeah, it was made for this type of dilemma too. Grams wrote the spell. I don't know if she knew this would happen or if it happened to her, but I'm glad I found it." Phoebe said in a cheerful voice. "Now we can go tell Piper."  
  
"Well, all right. Let's go. She's up in her room." Prue said.  
  
Piper was sitting on her bed reading a few of Phoebe's Wiccan books when Prue knocked on her door. She laid the book in her lap and told Prue to come in.  
  
"What's up?" She asked.  
  
"Phoebe has something to tell you." Prue said with a smile and then gave Phoebe a slight shove forward.  
  
"I was looking through the book of shadows, and I found a spell that will work in our situation. Grams wrote it." Phoebe smiled.  
  
"So can we do it? Will it work on them?" Piper asked.  
  
"It should." Phoebe answered.  
  
"But what about the Elders? What if they have something to say?" Piper asked, remembering that they had sent Leo to talk to them about it.  
  
"If they have a better plan, then fine. If not, we cast the spell, it's that simple." Prue said.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Marcus, Michael, get ready. We leave tonight. We will get that book, and we'll kill the Charmed Ones in the process." Tomas said.  
  
"Let's try not to get separated this time. We need all our power together to do this." Troy added.  
  
"And since the oldest Halliwell is dead they won't have that much power to them anymore." Tomas said.  
  
"What about the whitelighter?" Michael asked. "How do we deal with him?"  
  
"He's mine." Tomas said. "I'll deal with him. I've handled plenty of whitelighters in my time. This one shouldn't be any different, whoever he is."  
  
Marcus swallowed and looked away. If only Tomas knew that Leo was their whitelighter. He wondered if seeing Leo would remind Tomas who he once was. Marcus knew he was the same person, he was just ruled by his brothers.  
  
"Marcus! Did you hear me?" Tomas shouted.  
  
"Sorry, what?"  
  
"You will take the youngest Halliwell. She has no active power. You and Michael can easily take her." Tomas smiled an evil smile and added, "I want to see her blood on you."  
  
"Yes, Tomas," Marcus muttered. "Her blood will be on my hands."  
  
Marcus knew this was their only chance to save his brothers, or else they would die, and he would die with them.  
  
'If the Halliwell sisters can't help save my brothers, then they have to keep the book from us. I'd rather die than see anymore of what my brothers do to innocent people.' He thought. 'I'll put an end to this one way or another.'  
  
  
  
  
  
The sisters were in the attic with the book, and with Leo. He had orbed in and told them that the Elders couldn't help. They had nothing that could bring the four warlocks back. They had sent their encouragement and wishes of luck to the girls, though. They were talking about the spell when Marcus appeared.  
  
"They're coming tonight. Please have a spell ready. And protect your book, if they get it then you will die and a lot of innocent people will lose their lives with you. I can't stay, but this is my warning. Be ready for us. I have to go before they discover I'm gone." Marcus gave his message quickly without giving them time to respond and then he disappeared again.  
  
"Okay, well I guess we should get things ready." Prue said.  
  
"Leo?" Piper tried to get his attention, but he was staring at the spot Marcus had been standing. "Leo?"  
  
"I need to talk, Piper." Leo said without removing his gaze.  
  
Piper glanced at her sisters and they nodded their understanding. Piper took his hand and led him to her room. He sat down on the bed and she sat next to him.  
  
"I killed Marcus." Leo said with a pained expression on his face.  
  
"I know, but it wasn't your fault." Piper said, trying to comfort him.  
  
"You know?" He asked in confusion.  
  
"Marcus told us what happened."  
  
Leo looked down at his hands. "I just held the gun up, and shot him. Then his helmet dropped to the ground and I saw who it was. I never wanted to do it, I tried to help him, but I had hit him directly in the heart. I couldn't save him. I killed Tomas and Troy too."  
  
"Leo, it wasn't your fault. You have to know that. Marcus doesn't hold it against you."  
  
"Piper, I killed my friends."  
  
"But you didn't know it was them. It was an accident." Piper didn't know what to say.  
  
"I saw his face before the bullet reached him. His eyes were filled with terror. He knew he was going to die, and it was my fault. I ran out into the middle of the field to get him. There were explosions and bullets everywhere. People were dying and screaming for me to help them, and I ignored them, so I could get to Marcus and his brothers. They were already dead."  
  
"Leo, please listen to me. You couldn't have known. It wasn't your fault. They probably would have done the same thing, no one could have known."  
  
Leo looked up for a moment. He turned and looked Piper in the eye. "They're calling."  
  
"Leo." Piper said in disappointment. "You can't leave like this."  
  
"I have to go." He stood up and walked away from the bed.  
  
"Leo," Piper stood up and walked over to him.  
  
"I have to." He said.  
  
"Not like this." Piper said. "Stop blaming yourself."  
  
He bent down and kissed her. Leo wouldn't look her in the face. He orbed away, leaving Piper standing there alone, hurting for him. She wished he could see the truth in what she said. She jumped when she heard a voice at the door. She turned to see Prue and Phoebe standing there.  
  
"Piper?" Prue pushed open the door and walked to her. Phoebe followed. "It's okay."  
  
Prue pulled her little sister into a hug and stroked her head. Piper hadn't even realized she was crying. Phoebe joined the hug to let Piper know that both she and Prue were there for her. They knew that this was hard on Piper because of the type of person she was. She hated seeing people in pain, especially people she loved. It always made her hurt. Now she was just glad to be with her sisters.  
  
(End part 9)  
  
(Part 10)  
  
"How are you doing, sweetie?" Prue asked, setting a cup of coffee in Piper's hands.  
  
The three were sitting in the kitchen. Prue had made coffee and was giving her sisters their cups now. Piper was still worried about Leo. She thought she might ask Marcus to talk to Leo for her.  
  
"I'm, I'm fine." Piper said.  
  
She wasn't sure she really was. She knew she would be, but right now she wasn't sure what she felt. She practically jumped out of her chair when Phoebe laid her hand on her back.  
  
"Whoa, calm down, Piper. It's just me." Phoebe told her.  
  
"Sorry, I…"  
  
"You're just worried, we know." Prue said.  
  
"Piper, things will be fine. It will all work out the way it's meant to." Phoebe said in a soothing tone.  
  
"I know. I'm just worried about everything, about Marcus, his brothers, Leo, and you guys. I don't want to lose either of you." Piper sighed and took a sip of her coffee.  
  
"You won't lose either of us, Piper." Phoebe said quietly.  
  
"I hope you're right." She whispered in response.  
  
"Well, Marcus warned us that it would be tonight so, are we sure we're ready?" Prue asked.  
  
"We've got the spell. Book is protected. We're together. I think we're ready." Phoebe said, checking things off with her fingers.  
  
"Okay, so we want to take them on in the attic, right?" Prue asked.  
  
"Why the attic?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"Less things to break," Piper answered. Prue just nodded. That was her reasoning too.  
  
"So, let's go wait on our visitors." Prue said.  
  
  
  
While waiting in the attic, Piper did a little cleaning, and Prue went through an old box. Phoebe was looking at everything, everywhere. She wouldn't sit down. They were trying to keep themselves busy so that the anticipation of what they were going to have to do wouldn't eat away at them.  
  
Phoebe strode across the room to where Prue and Piper were now going through the same box of old stuff. "Hey, if darklighters have the power to orb, then how come they've never orbed up there?" She asked pointing a finger towards the ceiling.  
  
"Maybe they don't have the ability to get up there." Prue said.  
  
"Well, Ames did, and he had darklighter power." Phoebe pointed out. (Spelling of that name?)  
  
"But he also had Natalie's powers too." Prue said.  
  
"Oh…that's right." Phoebe muttered. "I forgot."  
  
"My god, how long are they going to wait?" Piper asked, dropping something back into the box.  
  
"I don't know. It's starting to bug me too." Prue replied.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Marcus, go tell the others to get ready. We're going to go over our plan and then leave." Tomas instructed.  
  
"All right," Marcus obeyed hesitantly.  
  
He went to fetch his brothers who were in the other room. "Tomas said to get in there. We're gonna go over our plan."  
  
"We'll be there in a minute." Michael snapped.  
  
"Fine," Marcus snapped back.  
  
He marched back to the room Tomas was in. When Tomas saw that Michael and Troy weren't with him he gave his youngest brother a questioning glance.  
  
"They said they'd be in here in a minute." Marcus informed him.  
  
He turned his back to Marcus, but Marcus knew that Tomas was angry. When he wanted something done, he wanted it done then, not whenever Michael and Troy thought it was the best time. He calmly turned and slipped past Marcus.  
  
We he entered the room his other brothers were in he slammed a fist against the wall making Troy jump.  
  
"I sent Marcus in here to get you for a reason!" He bellowed. "I expect you in there now!"  
  
"Chill, Tom." Michael said.  
  
Marcus was watching from the door when Tomas walked over and grabbed Michael around the neck and lifted him off his feet. Marcus dropped to his knees in pain. He could feel it. They were very close to dying if he could feel this; such as Michael was feeling it. They were running out of time.  
  
"Don't ever call me Tom again." He said calmly, although Marcus definitely recognized the threat in his voice. "My name is Tomas. Now get in there."  
  
With that he flung Michael to the floor by the door. Troy immediately followed. Marcus, out of habit, ran to help his twin up. Michael pushed him to the ground as a result.  
  
"Get off me!" Michael shouted. "I don't need you!"  
  
Marcus picked himself up and nodded his head. "I know you don't need me. How about I go over there right now and kill myself with your sword?" He asked in sarcasm, pointing at his twin's sword rack. He had quite a collection. "Then you can prove how much you really don't need me." He dropped his arm and started for the swords. Michael grabbed his wrist.  
  
"I'm sorry, brother. I meant nothing by it." Michael pleaded. "I was just angry with Tomas."  
  
Marcus forced himself not to reveal any emotion. He wanted to stare at his brother and tell him it was all right, he would never do anything like that but he couldn't. Marcus was amazed that Michael had apologized, even if it was just to save his life.  
  
"Fine… But you better just remember you do need me. You need me more than anything or anyone right now, and you know it." Marcus hissed, trying to hold up his act.  
  
The four went into the other room where Tomas had wanted to meet in the first place. They discussed their plan and went over the finer points of the whole strategy for nearly two hours. When Tomas was satisfied that the plan was perfect he called the meeting to an end.  
  
"Go prepare. We leave in ten minutes." He told his brothers.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Prue, what time is it?" Phoebe asked.  
  
"It's nearly midnight." Prue answered with a deep sigh.  
  
"Maybe they changed their minds." Piper said.  
  
That was when the four warlocks appeared behind four flashes of colored light. "Maybe not!" Piper shouted as she jumped to her feet. She tried to freeze them only to find it didn't work.  
  
"We've dealt with your power, witch! It's useless now." Troy laughed.  
  
Prue flung them all against the wall, even Marcus; she had to keep her act up too. They hadn't been expecting that. They were sure they had killed her and hadn't done anything to protect against her powers.  
  
"Damn! The whitelighter!" Tomas shouted out as he jumped to his feet.  
  
His brothers got to their feet as well. Phoebe and Piper were now standing as close to Prue as possible. She was glaring at the men. Next, to make things worse, Leo orbed in. Michael took the distraction as an opportunity and shot a ball of fire in Phoebe's direction. Marcus screamed and jumped in the way. He fell to the ground after the ball of flames hit him in the center of his chest. Michael toppled over in pain. He tried to crawl to Marcus. It hurt every bone in his body, but he made it to his brother's side. He had tears streaming down his face from both physical pain and mental pain as memories flickered before his eyes. He also cried out of love. For the first time, in six years he cried out of love for his brother. He grabbed his brother's hand and put his hand to his face tapping lightly.  
  
"Marcus, come on." He tapped harder. "No…it was…it was an accident." The tapping stopped.  
  
Michael lay down on his side gripping his brother's hand. Tomas and Troy were in shock. They just stared on with wide eyes. They couldn't believe Marcus has sacrificed himself for a witch. Troy soon recovered from his shock and charged at Piper. He grabbed her around the throat and her eyes went wide. Tomas was then at his twin's side, grabbing his arm.  
  
"Let her go!" He shouted.  
  
"No! They need to die; we can't live without their powers!" Troy shouted.  
  
"Who cares!" Tomas shouted, he brought his fist down hard on his brother's arm and he broke his grip. "If Marcus is dead we all go with him!"  
  
"But…He was weak! We can survive! He gave his life for…for a witch!" Troy shouted in horror.  
  
"There was a time you would have too!" Tomas shouted louder, rage filling his every nerve. He let the tears come now. He sank to his knees, Troy watched on in disbelief. All of them were reliving a time before evil had consumed their souls. The sight of their baby brother risking his life to save another brought back memories, both joyous and painful.  
  
"But…Tomas…" Troy's voice changed as his eyes glossed over, reliving a time long ago. "Leo will understand when he joins us. I don't blame him. He didn't know we were his friends, we looked like the enemy. I would have done the same! I would have killed Leo if I thought he was the enemy coming to kill us."  
  
Tomas looked up at his brother in confusion. "Troy?"  
  
"Marcus and Michael understand…why can't you?" He said. He looked as if he was in a daze speaking to nothing at all.  
  
"Because, I don't want to accept it..." Tomas said in a whisper, dropping his head into his hands. "I can't imagine him being put through that…it wasn't his fault!" Tomas shouted again. "You're right! It wasn't Leo's fault," His voice dropped to a strained whisper. "It was my fault. I should have protected the three of you!"  
  
Troy dropped to his knees next to his twin, suddenly overcome with grief. "Heal Marcus?"  
  
"I can't." Tomas said in a voice hardly audible. He shook uncontrollably as he cried. "I can't…my baby brother is dead…"  
  
"No," Leo said, finally coming out of his own sea of memories. "Not again." He muttered.  
  
He walked over to Michael's side and pushed him away, gently. He laid his hands over Marcus. But before he did anything, he took his hands back and looked up at Prue.  
  
"You have to cast the spell first. I can't heal an evil warlock with out there being problems."  
  
"He's not evil." Phoebe muttered beneath her breath.  
  
Prue pulled out the paper and Phoebe and Piper huddled around her. Piper was still rubbing her throat.  
  
"Half is pure light, half is pure dark, I ask now that those halves become their own whole. Pure dark its own body to wield, leaving the real heart its rightful place."  
  
They chanted the spell and four black balls of smoke flew out of each man. They flew to a far side of the room and formed into men, each identical to one of the men on the ground. Leo quickly put his hands over Marcus, and there was a very faint glow.  
  
"Please, Leo." Michael begged. "Save him."  
  
"I'm trying." Leo said.  
  
They watched as the men formed. Leo's hands started glowing a brighter color. Michael's eyes got wide. Marcus's eyes fluttered open. Michael enveloped him in a hug. Marcus looked around in a confused daze. When the four evil men formed completely, Marcus and Michael jumped to their feet in alert.  
  
"Phoebe! The potion!" Prue called out.  
  
In their struggle with finding a spell to turn the four men back to good they had tried many other things. They had created this potion to kill them completely if the spell failed. If it didn't fail it would kill the evil half of them. Phoebe grabbed the potions off the table flinging one to Prue, Piper, and Leo.  
  
Phoebe charged the evil Michael. When he fell, she jumped to her feet and threw the potion at him. Just as expected he blew up. Maybe not in the manner they expected but it did its job. Prue slammed the Troy look-a-like against the wall and flung her potion at him. He too went up in smoke.  
  
Leo was going to take on the evil Marcus, but when he looked him in the eye he saw that fear that he saw when he shot him. Piper shoved him out of the way and smacked her potion open on the top of the evil Marcus's head. He screamed and busted into a zillion pieces.  
  
Phoebe ran over to Leo as Prue flung the Tomas look-a-like back and the real Troy grabbed him, throwing his arms around the other's chest. He held him as Phoebe took the last potion from Leo. She threw it at the evil Tomas but he broke free and dove out of the way and the potion was headed for Troy. Phoebe screamed, but Piper froze the room. Prue used her powers to redirect the potion. When things unfroze the potion hit an unsuspecting evil Tomas. He burst into flames and disappeared.  
  
  
  
*The Next Morning*  
  
  
  
"Leo? How are you feeling?" Piper asked.  
  
Leo had spent the whole night catching up with his four old friends. He had also learned how they had a spell cast over them to draw and trap them into evil. How they fought as long, and as hard as they could for a long time before giving up. They decided since they couldn't change it that they would go along with it.  
  
Leo had also gone and had a chat with the Elders and they said that they would reinstate the four with their old whitelighter jobs. They had been ecstatic at hearing that news.  
  
"I'm doing great. Just great…" Leo chimed in. "By the way," He started when Prue and Phoebe walked in. He cleared his throat and began again. "By the way, I'd like you to meet Tomas Carter, Troy Carter, Michael Carter, and Marcus Carter. In order by age," He smiled.  
  
Piper felt so relieved to see him smiling again. Prue and Phoebe were glad things truly were back to normal again too.  
  
"Hello." Piper said.  
  
"Nice to meet you," Prue said with a smile.  
  
"Hey Marcus, can we uh… talk?" Phoebe said with a silly grin on her face.  
  
Marcus blushed and his brothers started hooting and hollering. He stood up and took Phoebe's arm, leading her out of the room. Prue and Piper laughed. Leo scooted over so Piper could sit down.  
  
"When are we put back on duty?" Tomas asked Leo.  
  
"Duty? What duty?" Prue asked.  
  
"Don't you know?" Troy said cheerfully. "We're whitelighters again."  
  
"Hope Marcus there doesn't get too attached. That would be breaking the rules." Michael said.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that." Piper said, waving her hand to dismiss the comment. "We Halliwell women have a way with breaking the rules. After all, I'm engaged to a whitelighter." A huge, childish grin spread across her face as she kissed Leo.  
  
Michael, Troy, and Tomas started congratulating Leo after the kiss. Prue sat down on the arm of the chair next to Piper. Prue took her sister's hand and gave it a little squeeze. Piper smiled up at her. Phoebe then came running into the room with her jacket and purse.  
  
"Marcus and I are going out. Don't wait up!" She said, running out the door to meet Marcus.  
  
  
  
(End part 10)  
  
(End all) 


End file.
